One of Shannonside's most distinctive sights, the Ritz cinema in Athlone, which has dominated the view between Connacht and Leinster since the late 1930s, is being demolished this week.
"The Ritz", standing on the eastern end of the bridge in Athlone, was a well-known landmark to the myriads of people who traversed the State before the Westmeath town was bypassed.
Early this week the bulldozers moved in to tear down the Scott-designed cinema which was built in 1938 and was one of the best examples of art deco in the State.
Built on piles overlooking the Shannon and constructed of mass concrete, the building was one of the first of its kind in the State. Modified over the years, it ended its days as an entertainment complex before being closed some years ago.
Planning permission had been obtained to demolish the building and, according to Angelo Magliocco of Creative Design Group, architects to the project, the new Costume Pier development will incorporate some of the best features of the old building.
It will contain a mix of penthouses, luxury apartments, a restaurant, and a private mooring. In addition, there will be a private gymnasium.
Already, almost 75 per cent of the apartments have been sold to people from Dublin, keen to sample life outside the capital.
But whether they know it or not, Athlone is determined to become a city, the Dublin of the Midlands. Steered by Athlone Chamber of Commerce, it is leading the £40 billion transformation of rural Ireland.
Last week, the chamber declared Athlone the business centre of the midlands because it is host to major international industrial companies like Elan, Ericsson, Mallinckrodt, Extrusion and many others.
It can boast one of the slickest institutes of education in the State and its leisure facilities and the waterside amenities of the Shannon and Lough Ree add to its attraction.
Nicely placed half-way between Dublin and Galway, Athlone has retained Objective One status and has been targeted for funding to enable it to become a contemporary centre of influence in the midlands comparable to Clonmacnoise in the pre-Viking era.
Work has already been done to establish a regional airport and that was even before the town realised that the Government was to dispense with its bypass policy and implement instead a major roads programme which could place Athlone within an hour-and-a-half of Dublin.
According to Siobhan Bigley of Athlone Chamber of Commerce, a lot of work has to be done before city status is achieved. "We want to sell our wares honestly and we have a lot to give," she said. "The truth is that we want to put no other centre under pressure because we believe that we have everything that is necessary here." She said the task facing Athlone should become easier following the publication of the National Plan on Monday last. Nevertheless, the support of the other local authorities was vital for what was needed.
"We want to fulfil our natural role as the city in the centre of Ireland without creating difficulties for any other towns in the region," she said.
"We want them to feel comfortable with us. We want them to share in our advancement and if this is what happens, we will be very happy indeed.
"In the meantime, we will continue to lobby to make Athlone a city and we want it to happen sooner rather than later without any offence to anyone else."